here it is. 46% of the americans we surveyed approve of the job he's doing as president, down four points since last month. his grade for handling the economy has fallen six points and health care, his signature issue, he's down six point there is as well. congress gets even worse grades on that matter. about six out of ten americans disapprove of the way both democrats and republicans are handling health care and members of congress are not likely to win many new fans after our next story. sharyl attkisson has this exclusive report on a scandinavian junket that may get some of them in hot water. >> reporter: few would argue with the u.s. having a presence at the copenhagen climate summit. >> i'm always hopeful. >> reporter: but wait until you hear what we found about how many in congress got all expense paid trips to denmark on your dime. our cameras spotted house speaker nancy pelosi at the summit. she called the shots on who got the go. that's house majority leader

steny hoyer. there's the embattled chairman of the tax committee charles rangel. >> did you take care of mr. rangel? >> he sure is! >> reporter: they were joined by 17 colleagues, democrats waxman, miller, markey, gordon, butterfield, cleaver and gifford and republicans barton, upton more, capito, sullivan, black burn and sensenbrenner. that's not the half of it. finding out more was a bit like trying to get the keys to fort knox. many referred us to speaker pelosi who wouldn't agree to an interview. her office told us it will comply with disclosure requirements but wouldn't give us cost estimates or even tell us where they all stayed. senator inhofe is one of the few who provided us any details. he attended the summit on his own for just a few hours to give an opposing view. >> they're going because it's the biggest party of the year. the worst thing that happened there was they ran out of caviar. >> reporter: our investigation found that the congressional delegation was so large it needed three military jets, two 737s and a gulf stream 5.

up to 64 passengers traveling in luxurious comfort. along with those who flew commercial, we counted at least 101 congress-related attendees, all for a summit that failed to deliver on global climate deals. as a perk, some took spouses since they could somethat that an open seat on a military jet or share a room at no extra cost to taxpayers. that's congresswoman giffords holding her husband's hand. capito and her husband. markey took his wife, wearing red. as did sensenbrenner. congressman barton, a climate change skeptic, brought along his daughter. until required filings are made in the coming weeks, we can only figure bits and pieces of the cost to you. three military jets at $9,900 an hour. that's $168,000 just for flight time. dozens flew commercial at up to $2,000 each. more than 300 hotel nights book. the bulk at copenhagen's five star marriott. meals at tens of thousands more. watchdog steve ellis wasn't

against a u.s. presence but considering the deficit... >> every penny counts. congress should be shaking the couch cushions looking for change rather than spending cash for everybody to go to copenhagen. >> nobody we asked would defend the supersize congressional presence on camera. one democrat said it showed the world the u.s. is serious about climate change. and all those attendee who went to the summit rather than hooking up by teleconference, they produced enough climate stunting carbon dioxide to fill 10,000 swimming pools. which means even if congress didn't get a global agreement, they left an indelible footprint all the same. sharyl attkisson, cbs news, washington. now senate majority leader harry reid was not on that trip but he was busy today trying to explain his way out of a story that broke over the weekend. a new book quotes him as making racially insensitive remarks about then-candidate barack obama during the 2008 presidential campaign. as for the reaction, nancy cordes tells us it depends on

who you ask. >> reporter: a besieged leader reid said today he has phoned the president and nearly three dozen black leaders in an attempt to undo the damage. >> i've apologized to everyone that... in the sound of my voice that i could have used a better choice of words. >> reporter: his words as reported in the new book "game change" are in 2008 when reid told the authors then-candidate obama had a real shot at the presidency because he was a "light skinned african american with no negro dialect unless he wanted to have one." the president has forgiven reid. >> there was nothing mean spirited in what he had to say and he's always been on the right side of the issues. >> reporter: but g.o.p. top brass insist he should resign from his leadership post. >> there has to be a consequence here if the standard is the one that was set in 2002 with trent lott. >> reporter: lott, a republican, stepped down as majority leader after his comments praising a former segregationist were deemed by some to be racist.

>> when strom thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. we're proud of it. and if the rest of the country had followed our lead we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either. >> reporter: even if reid retains his post, the flap won't help his bid for reelection in nevada where recent polls show he'd lose to any of the three top republican candidates. add that to the two senate democrats who announced their retirements last week plus the four other democratic senate seats in jeopardy and the party in power risks losing its grip on its 60-seat supermajority which allows democrat to pass legislation without a single republican vote. >> each individual story, like a snowball rolling down the hill, it builds into something much bigger and it leads to this impression, brdly, that democrats aren't able to govern, that they're constantly jabling and they that they're panicking about 2010. >> reporter: that's why democrats are so eager to pass health care reform so they have a record of accomplishment to

show to the voters. and who's the point man on health care reform? leader harry reid, which explains why the white house was rallying to his defense today. katie? >> couric: nancy, you said senator reid had called three dozen black leaders. what has their response been to what he's quoted as saying? >> by and large powerful african americans have been defending him as well. we heard from reverend al sharpton, from the attorney general eric holder. they say that while he may have made a poor word choice, that he was speaking an unfortunate truth which is that white americans by and large are still more comfortable voting for candidates who look and sound more like them, katie. >> couric: all right. nancy cordes on capitol hill tonight. nancy, thank you. meanwhile, in other news tonight he was one of the biggest stars in baseball back in the '90s, headed for the hall of fame. then came the steroid scandal and it has hung like a cloud over mark mcgwire's head for years while he remained silent. then today in a dramatic development mcgwire came clean and admitted he did use

steroids. our chief investigative correspondent armen keteyian tells us why mcgwire is taking a swing at redemption. >> in addition to andro... >> reporter: the last time most of us saw mark mcgwire he was striking out before a congressional committee. >> i'm not here to discuss the past. >> reporter: refusing to answer question after question. >> well, sir, i'm not here to talk about the past. >> reporter: about his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. today mcgwire finally spoke of that past, admitting he used anabolic steroids throughout the '90s, including 1998, the year he broke baseball's single-season home run record with 70. in a statement to the associated press, mcgwire said: "it's time for know talk about the past and confirm what people have suspected. i wish i had never touched steroids. it was foolish and it was a mistake. i truly apologize." he went on to say "i had good years when i took steroids and i had bad years when i took steroids. but no matter what, i shouldn't

have done it and for that i'm truly sorry." >> this was not someone who dabbled in steroids, tried them once. this is someone who admitted most of his career was built on steroids. >> reporter: tonight at 7:00 p.m. on the mlb network mcgwire will open up about his steroid use and his decision last october to become the st. louis cardinals hitting coach next season. manager tony larussa saying he'd even consider using mcgwire as a pinch hitter, giving him more time to convince voters to get into the hall of fame. today, however, big mac took the first big step to coming back to the game-- by coming clean. armen keteyian, cbs news, new york. >> couric: in the coming weeks, mcgwire and the cardinals will head to spring training in florida, but with record cold across this state today, spring feels very far away. from 14 degrees in tallahasse to 42 in key west, frigid conditions are taking a real toll on the sunshine state. kelly cobiella's in florida city and, kelly, this relentless cold

has been very tough on crops. >> reporter: katie, we're talking about 11 nights of this unusually cold weather and it does have a big impact on plants. you can see it on these squash plants here. the leaves have curled up and dried. these plants won't recover. across the state, damage to produce like this is being described as significant. this 60-acre field of summer squash would normally bring in $50,000. but after a night of temperatures freezing, it's worth nothing. the leaves have curled and the vegetables are no good. >> over the whole industry it's going to be millions of dollars. >> reporter: florida provides three quarters of the country's fresh vegetable this is time of year. already the price of green beans has more than doubled in two weeks from $21 to $45 a bushel, the price of squash is up from $30 a box to $40. are people going to see this in the grocery store? >> oh, yes, they're going to see hit in the grocery store.

it's going to happen immediately. >> reporter: the state's citrus crop seems to have fared better but growers won't know the full extent of the damage for weeks. >> south florida is still an icebox. >> reporter: the 11-day freeze broke records throughout the state. miami hit a new low for monday-- 36 degrees. florida power and light pumped out more electricity in the last day than during the hottest days of summer. >> extremely cold, yeah. yeah. too cold. >> reporter: even the animals are bundling up. miami metro zoo closed sunday for the first time ever due to cold and manatees were seen huddling together in a fort lauderdale canal to keep warm. >> we had teens and 20s and 30s showing up. that just does not happen everyday. >> reporter: florida is starting to warm up now and could hit 80 by the weekend. it will take longer-- possibly a month or more-- for produce prices to recover. katie? >> couric: kelly cobiella reporting from florida city tonight, thank you.

coming up next on the "cbs evening news," happy days are here again-- at least for wall street bankers. [ robin ] my name is robin. i am a wife. i am a mom... and i was a pack a day smoker for 25 years. i do remember sitting down with my boys, and i'm like, "oh, promise mommy you'll never ever pick up a cigarette." and brian looked at me at eight years old and said, "promise me you'll quit." i had to quit. ♪ my doctor gave me a prescription for chantix, a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] chantix is a non-nicotine pill. in studies, 44% of chantix users were quit during weeks 9 to 12 of treatment, compared to 18% on sugar pill. it's proven to reduce the urge to smoke. seeing how chantix worked, i wasn't so afraid to try quitting again. [ male announcer ] talk to your doctor about chantix

and a support plan that's right for you. some people have had changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice agitation, hostility, depression or changes in behavior, thinking or mood that are not typical for you, or if you develop suicidal thoughts or actions, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. talk to your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which can get worse while taking chantix. some people can have allergic or serious skin reactions to chantix, some of which can be life threatening. if you notice swelling of face, mouth, throat or a rash stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away. tell your doctor which medicines you're taking as they may work differently when you quit smoking. chantix dosing may be different if you have kidney problems. the most common side effect is nausea. patients also reported trouble sleeping and vivid, unusual or strange dreams. until you know how chantix may affect you, use caution when driving or operating machinery. chantix should not be taken with other quit-smoking products. ♪

my benjamin, he helped me with the countdown. "ben, how many days has it been?" "5 days, mom. 10 days, mom." i think after 30 days he got tired of counting. [ male announcer ] talk to your doctor to find out if prescription chantix is right for you. ♪ [ giggling, squealing ] ♪ [ dad ] hey! no! go away! go away! [ laughter ] ♪ >> couric: banks are used to hitting customers with fees, now president obama is reportedly considering a new fee on banks to recover more of the bailout money they received. meanwhile, new york's attorney

general called on america's biggest banks today to reveal exactly how much they intend to pay out in bonuses this year? national correspondent jim axelrod found out and the answer is "plenty." >> reporter: less than a year ago, wall street's titans were before congress taking the blame for the financial crisis. >> as an industry, clearly we made mistakes. >> reporter: now after a year of record profits, some are preparing to handout record bonuses. goldman sachs an average bonus of almost $600,000. j.p. morgan chase $463,000, this at a time when one in ten american workers is unemployed. >> there are folks that just continue not to get it. >> reporter: the nation's six biggest banks are expecting to pay out somewhere near $150 billion in bonus this is year. if that were a stack of $100 bills, the pile would be as high as 370 empire state buildings.

>> 2010 we're seeing the same bonuses return and with some modest refinements it's going to produce the same incentive to take on higher risk. >> reporter: many banks made record profits by taking advantage of low interest rates set by the fed and lending that cheap money out at higher rates. the bonuses bankers argue are only for top performers and come with strings attached. >> a lot of these t financial institutions have now pushed more of the compensation out from being paid in cash to being paid in stock. >> reporter: that's designed to discourage short-term risk and encourage long-term returns. but the bonuses are still raising a lot of questions, not to mention anger. the c.e.o.s of the biggest banks expect to face both when they testify on capitol hill this wednesday. jim axelrod, cbs news, new york. >> couric: proposition 8 went on trial today in federal court in san francisco. the measure approved by california voters bans same-sex marriage in the state. the court will decide whether it's constitutional.

protestors from both sides gathered outside the federal courthouse today. regardless of how this trial turns out, the case is expected to go to the u.s. supreme court. and in entertainment news, simon cowell is bowing out of "american idol." today fox announced the often brutally honest judge on the prime time singing competition will leave after this season. but for an encore, cowell will be back next year with the american version of his british talent show "the x factor." we'll be right back. and now i know without enough,

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>> couric: they've gone after smoking and trans fats, now health officials here in floshgs saying "hold the salt." they put out voluntary new guidelines on the amount of salt used in making restaurant and packaged foods. the goal is to cut sodium intake by 20% in the next five years. in colorado, the man behind the balloon hoax landed today in jail. richard heene said nothing as he ran into the larimer county jail in colorado. moments later he ran back out to get his i.d. heene's serving 90 days for making up that story about his six-year-old son being carried away from a balloon when he was really safe at home. meanwhile, hundreds of sea lions have a new home today. around thanksgiving we told you they suddenly disappeared from san francisco's pier 39.

well, many have now turned up 500 miles away in oregon at a place called, of all things, sea lion cave, a place with an abundance of anchovies. and today's the 75th anniversary of what was at the time an incredible feat. on january 11, 1935, amelia earhart became the first person to fly solo from hawaii to california. it took 18 hours and a wooden plane she called "old bessie the fire horse." two years later while trying to fly around the world, earhart disappeared over the pacific just weeks before her 40th birthday. she was never found. and coming up next, with the help of space age technology, steve hartman sets out to prove that everyone in the world has a story. my muscles ached all over. i felt this deep lingering pain that was a complete mystery to me. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia muscle pain

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i got nothing. that's when i had it with frequent heartburn. that's when i got prevacid®24hr... and husband number two! (announcer) the #1 prescribed acid reducer brand over the last decade is now over-the-counter to treat frequent heartburn a full 24 hours. prevacid®24hr. when you've had it with heartburn. >> couric: finally tonight, our steve hartman once set out to tell the story of america one person at a time. now steve is taking on an even more ambitious project as he begins a new series "everyone in the world has a story." >> reporter: in a storeroom here at cbs behind a bunch of old office furniture there's a remnant of my former life: a map of america with exactly 123

holes in it. as some of you may remember, i used to go wherever the dart hit. then i'd stick my finger in the phone book and do a story on someone at that house. and by trusting fate, we got to see a part of america that news too often ignores. >> hello, everybody! >> reporter: the real america. i stopped chasing darts six years ago but recently decided the time was right to bring back the basic premise. not to show who we really are but to show who they really are. to randomly profile some of the other residents of planet earth. as americans, we live in relative isolation. but what if crossing oceans was as easy as crossing streets? what if we had a chance to get to know the people of the world as neighbors, as individuals or, to put it in my vernacular, what if we had a chance to know everybody's story. how would theirs compare to ours?

to answer those questions, we launched a project. i mean we really launched a project. >> liftoff of space shuttle "atlantis." >> reporter: last november when the shuttle "atlantis" took off from the kennedy space center, it was not only carrying supplies for the international space station, it was carrying a special payload for us. a plastic inflatable globe. that commander jeff williams would use to select our random locations. >> that was actually a good place to go. >> reporter: nasa says it wanted to be part of this project because it's something all astronauts have always been curious about when they look out that window. >> we often wonder what those people are doing, what they think, how they live. >> reporter: after traveling, literally, around the world and meeting people from all walks of life, i have to say the comparison between us and them is striking. whereas in the states people told me stories about things

like life long passions... >> i knew second i started that this is what i wanted to do the rest of my life. >> i've got quite a family. >> reporter: the importance of family. >> we all get together, we have a ball. >> reporter: and the struggle to achieve the american dream. >> an obstacle is a steppingstone to success. >> reporter: in other countries, i found stories about things like life long passions. >> this is much of my heart. >> reporter: the importance of family. and the struggle to achieve their version. >> this was the house. >>. >> reporter: of the american dream. you have come a long way in 60 years. >> yeah, yeah. >> reporter: turns out if you look very closely at our planet down here, it looks a lot like it does from way out there: wonderfully indistinguishable. over the next few weeks, we're going to hear those people's stories. starting next monday night when commander williams' random stamp at the globe sends us to asia to

what mark twain called the most extraordinary country the sun visits on its rounds, india, it's a town a couple hours southwest of new delhi. here fate found me a flower shop owner. as in turning wheat into flour. he and his shop are just the first in our month long planet wide adventure to prove everyone in the world has a story. >> steve, all the best on your trip. >> couric: this should be a fascinating series. did you have good time? >> i had a great time. biggest adventure of my life. >> couric: so we'll see you next monday. >> next monday. >> couric: that's the "cbs evening news" for tonight. i'm katie couric. see you tomorrow. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

"entertainment tonight" in high definition. new jay leno on the fox. nbc's late-night mess. >> how do you feel about going back to late night? >> i don't know yet. >> conan's next move. what will happen to ""the tonight show"" is there a jay-conan feud as rosie rips leno. >> seems so greedy to me. >> did you have sex with the producer from the show? >> the blond in "the bachelor" scandal breaks her silence. first picked off the